Education crisis deepens as teen reading scores plummet to levels not seen since 1971

Education crisis deepens as teen reading scores plummet to levels not seen since 1971 Nine-year-olds rebounded to pre-pandemic reading scores and saw some recovery in math, according to data from a test taken regularly in the U.S. since the 1970s - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments New federal data reveals a stark divergence in academic recovery among American students following the pandemic's disruptions, with younger learners regaining lost ground while their older counterparts continue to struggle. Nine-year-olds have largely rebounded to pre-pandemic reading levels and shown some improvement in math, but 13-year-olds' test scores remain stubbornly stagnant, with their reading proficiency effectively mirroring levels from over five decades ago. The latest testing data, collected from a national assessment regularly administered since the 1970s, indicate that nine-year-olds have returned to pre-pandemic reading scores and seen some recovery in math. However, the same progress has not materialized for 13-year-olds, whose average scores in both subjects remain below pre-pandemic averages. In fact, their 2024 reading scores are essentially at the same level as when the test began in 1971. This disparity highlights a critical need for educators to broaden their focus beyond elementary students, according to Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board. While schools and policymakers have focused on early literacy initiatives such as the "science of reading," the data suggest that adolescent learners require more intensive attention. The 13-year-olds who took the national test experienced the pandemic's upheaval during their crucial elementary years, and without intervention, they risk graduating still academically behind. "The 13-year-olds who took this assessment last year are headed to high school now or are already enrolled," Muldoon stated. "Schools won’t have them much longer. We can’t hesitate or wait if we’re going to turn these trends around." The long-term trends assessment, typically administered every four years, provides a consistent snapshot of American students' academic skills at ages 9 and 13. Roughly 31,000 public and private school students participated in the 2024-2025 school year. Unlike other national tests that adapt to changing curricula, this assessment has remained largely consistent since the 1970s, providing a stable benchmark for comparison. Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, noted that American students' academic achievement was already declining before the pandemic, with test scores peaking around 2012. "We can clearly see that this isn’t just a pandemic story," Soldner said, indicating a deeper, long-standing challenge. The test results show younger children improving foundational skills, such as identifying facts in a news article or performing basic multiplication. Seventy-one percent of nine-year-olds met the reading benchmark, and 84 percent reached that level in math, a slight increase from 2022. In contrast, teenagers, tested on more advanced skills such as making generalizations from text and interpreting charts, showed no statistically significant improvement since 2023, with only 58 percent meeting the reading benchmark and 70 percent meeting the math benchmark. Compounding the issue of stagnant literacy rates is a significant decline in reading for pleasure. A survey accompanying the test revealed that only 14 percent of 13-year-olds read for fun daily, a sharp drop from 27 percent in 2012 and a peak of 37 percent in 1992. Among nine-year-olds, 37 percent reported reading for fun daily, down from 53 percent in 2012. Researchers have linked this decline to the rise in social media use on cellphones. Soldner described the academic recovery of younger children as "incredibly encouraging," but lamented that "almost 50 years of progress has been eliminated" for 13-year-olds. The older group would have been in second or third grade during the pandemic's initial year, missing crucial foundational learning, while the younger cohort entered kindergarten or first grade as schools reopened, experiencing more typical in-person instruction during their formative years. Despite the alarming recent declines, Mark Miller, an eighth-grade math teacher and former member of the National Assessment Governing Board, remains optimistic. "We have made progress in the past, from the early ‘70s to 2012," Miller said. "Can it be done again? Absolutely." Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments